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Of course, part of the mountain -- 36 percent -- is air between the spheres. The firm says it chose that density to reflect a random packing of spheres.

If the emissions were one large sphere, it would measure 2.37 miles across, according to Carbon Visuals. See calculation details here.

"Simply by showing how much of it there is, hopefully we can improve the debate about carbon emissions," the firm's creative director Adam Neiman told Reuters.

The world is adding 1,062 spheres like the ones in the animation every second, he added.

New York is trying to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by a whopping 30 percent from levels in 2006. Levels in 2010 were down 12 percent from 2005, so that mountain of spheres could continue to shrink.

Carbon Visuals, meanwhile, is planning to create more animations of spheres invading London and other cities.

About the author

Crave freelancer Tim Hornyak is the author of "Loving the Machine: The Art and Science of Japanese Robots." He has been writing about Japanese culture and technology for a decade. E-mail Tim.
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